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NCAAB Picks

Bet Green Bay -5.5 Over Valparaiso: NCAA Basketball Picks

Green Bay owns the top defense in the Horizon League, which makes it a clear college basketball pick against Valparaiso Friday night.

Impressive Run
Valparaiso has won five games in a row to improve to 18-3 on the season, which is important to consider when looking over the NCAA basketball odds, as it looks to pull off its first straight-up victory as an underdog. The Crusaders have outscored opponents by an average of 14.2 points over the course of their current win streak, while also enjoying a +9.8 advantage on the boards.

It’s important to point out that the squad enters this high-profile matchup leading the league with a +8.6 rebounding margin. Since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, the program is 6-13 SU and 9-10 ATS when tipping off as an underdog, with the UNDER going 9-4 in 13 opportunities.

Dynamic Duo
Green Bay is tied atop the league standings with Cleveland State and Valparaiso with a 5-1 mark, which can’t be ignored when making your NCAA basketball picks, as it possesses one of the top duos in the country.

Greg Mays and Keifer Sykes are averaging 41.8 points since the start of Horizon play, including a 39-point performance in a 78-55 victory over UIC as 17.5-point home favorites last time out.

Sykes is the main player to watch as many experts expect him to be selected in the 2015 NBA Draft, as he’s averaged 14.9 points in the second half versus league foes. Over the last two-plus seasons, the team is 3-3 SUATS as home favorites of 3.5 to 6 points.

Big Injury
The Crusaders have managed to perform at a high level without the services of Keith Carter in their last four games, as he continues to be listed as doubtful on injury reports with a toe injury.

Carter’s loss will likely catch up with the road underdogs in this spot, as he ranks fourth on the team in scoring, while leading the way with 65 assists and 25 steals.

Dominant Play
The Phoenix have won all nine of their home games this season, while they’ve also captured 11 of their last 12 conference affairs at the Resch Center.

Green Bay ranks 12th nationally in defensive efficiency—performing at its best in front of its fans in limiting foes to 55.1 points per game on 37.2 percent shooting from the floor.

Prediction
I’m going to recommend that readers back the Phoenix as one of their top basketball picks, as the Crusaders’ strength of schedule ranks 346th in terms of defenses faced through 21 games this year.